The sound of rage in Tahir Square in Egypt.
Medical sources say at least 33 people have been killed since Saturday as Cairo police clash with protesters demanding an end to army rule. It is the worst violence since the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak earlier this year.
Tens of thousands of people packed Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the anti-Mubarak revolt as the country prepares for its first free election in decades, due to start next week.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, saying (English):
"I am not going to try to get ourselves into the middle of events except to say that no use if violence by any side is justified in this case."
While army generals were given credit in easing Mubarak out, nationwide hostility to their rule has grown -- especially over attempts to set new laws that would keep the military permanently beyond civilian control.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, saying (English):
"The best hope for democracy in Egypt is for these election to go forward for the people to express themselves through the ballot box and then for the process of democratization to move forward in Egypt."
The violence casts a shadow over the first round of voting in Egypt's staggered and complex election process, which starts on Nov. 28 in Cairo and elsewhere. The army says the polls will go ahead.
The military plans to keep its presidential powers until a new constitution is drawn up and a president is elected in late 2012 or early 2013. Protesters want a much swifter transition.
Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters

Reuters is the news and media division of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Learn more about Thomson Reuters products: